The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1887-10-27
KEEP YOUR PROMISE"

pie know, did not take very kindly to
removing from Staten Island to New
York City, when his affairs began to
prosper but was compelled to do so in
order to be near his business. He bought
house just in the outskirts of the city
where he thought he could be sure of
comparative quiet. He found a COM
Portable place close by graveyard,
with not many houses about him and
settled down.
The first night he spent in the now
place was a terrible revelation to HIM.
Instead of the absolutely quiet surround
ings of his island home, he had an at
mosphere vocal with the ye lis of what
seemed thousand cats. The neighbor-
hood must have been, he was convinced,
favorite resort for all the cats in the
city. They rendezvoused in the grave
yard, and focked on his back fence,
and pcrched on his shed roof and cater
wauled madly all night long. He slept
scarcely five minutes at time The
next night it was repeated and the next.
Instead of getting used to it the COM
modore was getting more and more ner-
vous and slept less and less. The wear
and tear began to tell on him.
Vanderbilt had his boots blacked
every morning by lad who had sta
toned his box not far away, making an
arrangement with the boy in order to
get the shine reasonably cheap. One
morning he sat down in the boys chair
with such weary air and with so hag-
gard a look on his face that the boy
asked sympathetically-
"Wot's de matter, customer2'
The commodore, for want of a better
confdant, opened his heart to the boot
black and told him the narrowing tale
of the cats. .u ...
''Wot III yer give me, boss" said the
boy, eff Pll clean out all de cats for
your
"What III give you3 Why, I'll give
you dollar apiece for every cat you kill
in my yard" said the commodore.
"All right, customer" said the boot
black, "rll be there tonight"
That night the commodore slept
as he had not slept since he left Staten
Island. Fl woke in the morning with
the delightful sense of having slept only
about fifteen minutes, and yet knowing
that he had slept soundly all night.
When he went out he found his boot
black sitting on the front step.
''How d you sleep, bossl' asked the
boy.
"splendidly, young man, splendidly. !"
"Hear any cats9"
'Not a cat. How much do l owe
you9"
"Come round in the back yard an
we'll see,' said the boy.
They went around to the back yard.
There were two rough looking young
sters sitting on the fence, and on the
ground was pile of dead cats that made
the commodore turn pale.
"For heavens sake, how many cats
have you therea" he gasped.
"We'll t'row 'em over in another pile,
boss" said the bootblack, "an' you kin
score 'em up"
The boy began to toss the cats over
deliberately, and the commodore counted
until he had got up to fifty. Then he
called out
"Hold on! That'll do. See here;
I'll give you three fellows just five dol
lars apiece. That's big pay for nights
work"
''Can't do it, boss" said the boot
black, '1've made de arrangement wild
desc gentlemen here, an de understand
ing is dollar apiece for de cats"
''Well, won't give you but five dol
lars each all around" said the commo-
dore.
He pulled out the money and shook
it in their faces, but the boys refused tc
take it. Finally they withdrew in 81
lence, leaving the commodore, aroused
and ill-natured, with his cats. They
formed resolve to ''get even with
him." and made their plans accord
inQlY.